


Thanks, Matty

by monstermetaphor



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Ableist Language, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:47:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monstermetaphor/pseuds/monstermetaphor
Summary: While Andrew is in Easthaven and Neil is at the Nest, the other Monsters are to spend Winter Break with Matt and his mother. Matt muses on this during the flight from Palmetto to New York, and comforts a shattering Nicky.
Relationships: Matt Boyd & Nicky Hemmick, Nicky Hemmick & Andrew Minyard
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	Thanks, Matty

As they got on the plane, Matt felt an odd mixture of emotions. He didn’t care about flying; as the son of a professional boxer and a surgeon he’d been in a plane several times in his childhood and young adult life, no, that wasn’t the cause of his anxiety. It was winter break and he would be staying with his mom in New York, but he wasn’t alone. Kevin, Nicky and Aaron had boarded the plane with him, the former two of which currently occupied the seats on either side of him. 

Aaron had taken the aisle seat a couple rows ahead of them. Honestly Matt was a bit relieved about that. He didn’t claim to be an expert on any of the monsters, but Aaron was the one he had the least experience with off-court and subsequently was who he had the least understanding of. Not that he understood his twin either, but at least he understood his basic personality traits; which appeared to be crazy, rude, paranoid and possessive. Protective, if he was feeling generous towards the Monster. Though from what they had learned about Andrew, he may have reason to be paranoid about his family’s safety. That’s something to think about later. 

For now he turns his attention to the other two. Kevin had seemed tense when they’d boarded although Matt didn’t know why. Soon however, the cocky, vaguely dickish striker nodded off. He looked different in sleep, more like a sweet innocent babe whose dark hair Matt wanted to ruffle than the teammate who’d tried to tell him and Dan to “break up before your attachment causes people to question the Captain’s authority” during his first week at the foxhole court. Only Nicky was still awake. He was staring into the distance in a way very uncharacteristic of the chatty, energetic backliner.  
Matt had always liked Nicky. He could be an asshole like his cousins sometimes, but unlike them he genuinely tried to be friendly to the upperclassmen whenever possible, and was a good time. It hurt to see the other man so subdued. 

“Hey, man.” Matt said, placing a hand on Nicky’s arm. “Are you okay?” 

Nicky gazed at him with vacant brown eyes. “What, yeah I’m fine.” 

Matt frowned. “Did you change your name to Neil Josten in the last few hours?”

Nicky’s mouth curved into a weak approximation of his usual grin. “Yeah no, I guess it’s wrong to steal his line even if he isn’t here. We will honor him as one of the missing, and therefore no one will wear awful hobo’s outfits or be confused about basic concepts like friendship or have panic attacks over phones-“ Nicky was babbling at this point, and Matt was afraid if he went on much longer he’d devolve into tears.

“Hey, Nicky.” He tried again. “I’m serious. If you need to talk, I’m right here.”

Nicky was silent for a moment, then, in a voice that nearly broke Matt he said, “I just - I can’t believe I didn’t know. My own cousin, and I never even dreamed of anything like this.”

“I mean,” he continued, “ I knew he couldn’t have had a great time in foster care. I knew he hated my parents, but I thought it was just, you know, an Andrew thing. Like the way he hates receiving attention, or won’t respond to certain words, or carries fucking knives around, or how he wakes up-“ Nicky made a choked sound. “Oh god, that’s why he wakes up so violently isn’t it? He’s used to - used to fighting people off of him.” The last three words are punctuated with a sob.

Matt put an arm more fully around the other man. “Listen Nicky, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. You aren’t the only one, none of us had a clue.”Even though in retrospect, it’s obvious, he didn’t say. 

“No offense,” Nicky said shakily, “But you don’t know Andrew. None of you do.” He didn’t have to clarify that “you” in this case meant the upperclassmen. “You weren’t his legal guardian for four years. You don’t know that his favorite flavor of ice cream is chocolate and his favorite toppings are m and m’s. You have no idea that he loves horror games and Halloween, or that he hates Christmas with a passion. You don’t know that he’s so incredibly smart and has a fucking perfect memory, but doesn’t believe he matters enough for it to mean something. You don’t know he once got into an hour long discussion with me over Les Miserables and then wouldn’t talk to anyone for a week because it took so much out of him. You haven’t gone to the kitchen in the middle of the night and found him looking exhausted, and vacant the way he does sometimes, and made cocoa for the both of you. You don’t-“ he was fully crying now, and Matt turned Nicky so that his face was buried in Matt’s shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, until finally Nicky wipes the last of his tears on the slightly taller man’s blue sweatshirt. “I’m sorry,” Nicky said weakly. 

“That’s okay,” said Matt. “Your right, none of us really know Andrew.” 

Nicky shook his head. “I keep thinking about all the things I’ve said around him. All those stupid jokes about getting Kevin or Neil or you,” he pauses for a moment, then goes on, “drunk enough to be easy, or less straight or whatever. And all the time’s I’ve touched him - hell I even tried to hug him in the hospital - and how he’s always pulled out a knife or laughed or both in response. All this time I thought he was crazy, but really I was hurting him, Matt.” Matt was a bit surprised by this, he knew Andrew sometimes pulled a knife on Nicky on the court but he’d never known about the context. 

“Well,” said Matt, “that wasn’t great. Actually it sucks that you did those things, but it’s not like you could have known why he reacted the way he did. Now that you do know, you can make better choices. Such as not touching him unless he specifically asks for it.” He paused, unsure how to say the next words without upsetting Nicky. “And about the first thing you said, you shouldn’t make those jokes anywhere. Especially not around Andrew, but even then they’re assholeish things to say.” 

Nicky looked reassured. “Thanks, Matt.”

“Don’t mention it.” Matt replied.

“One more thing,” said Nicky with an impish smile. “I’m really tired, mind if I sleep on your shoulder for the last part of the flight?” 

Matt was relieved to see that smile. “Sure.”

Nicky’s grin widened. “Thanks, Matty.” Matt got zero sleep thanks to a snoring and drooling 5”10 puppy with dimples, but he couldn’t bring himself to mind.


End file.
